learn to swim or you will drown
by SkyGem
Summary: Iwasaki Daiki is just trying to get away from the youkai that's chasing him when he accidentally stumbles into the lives, and hearts, of the Natsume Clan. Future fic. No pairings. Natsume-becomes-an-exorcist-au. Parental Natsume.
1. Prologue

Summary: Iwasaki Daiki is just trying to get away from the youkai that's chasing him when he accidentally stumbles into the lives, and hearts, of the Natsume Clan. Future fic. No pairings. Natsume-becomes-an-exorcist-au. Parental Natsume.

* * *

Beautiful.

It's the first word that comes to his mind when he stumbles through the gates, and lays eyes on the sprawling traditional mansion, the gardens set ablaze with the vibrant reds and oranges of autumn.

He sits there for a second, mouth open, drinking in the view as his ragged breathing slowly returns to normal, and forgetting momentarily the reason for his panic, and his presence here.

But then, there's a dull thud, as that of a body crashing into a wall, and he turns with fright to see the youkai that had been chasing him clawing desperately at the thin air of the gateway, unable to reach him.

With a small "eep!" of startlement, he scuttles away from the gateway as fast as he can, still watching the creature warily. It looks deceptively benign, a tall gangly form in a ratty brown kimono, its face hidden behind a simple paper mask. But there's something deeply unsettling about it, something malicious, something _inhuman_. It's there in the way the creature's long tangles of hair fall to its shoulders, slick and black like oil, or the way it wails forlornly at him even now, still clawing at the invisible barrier that's keeping it away from its meal.

He sits there for what seems like an eternity, his heart hammering against his ribcage, and wondering how long it'll be before the creature finally gives up and he's free to return home. But before that can happen, there's the rattle of a door opening, a quiet noise of surprise, and he slowly, reluctantly turns his head away from the creature.

There, standing in the doorway behind him, is a kindly older woman. Everything about her is soft and welcoming, from the faded pink apron she wears over her dress, to the long silver hair falling in gentle waves around her shoulders, to the expression of mild concern in her warm brown eyes.

"Oh my!" she gasps, hurrying toward him with all the grace and energy of a woman half her age. "Are you alright, young man?" she asks as she kneels beside him, hands fretting worriedly around him as if she has no idea what to do with them. She reaches out to brush shaggy black locks out of his face, turning his chin this way and that as if checking for bruises.

"I-I'm fine!" he finally manages to stutter, and he can't help but dart a quick glance at the youkai still hovering in the gateway – it's gone strangely silent, it's arms still raised as if it had frozen in the act of clawing at the air, looking for a way in. He turns back to the woman, and sees her staring where he had been just moments ago, her eyes glancing over the youkai as if it weren't even there. "I-I'm sorry for coming in without permission, Natsume-san…"

The woman next to him startles, her eyes immediately flying back to him, and he hopes desperately that he had remembered the name properly. He's passed this mansion on his way to and from his junior high every day for the past two months since he'd moved in with his aunt and uncle, but he's never really paid much heed to it, or to the nameplate that hangs on the wall near the gate.

But she doesn't look offended as she smiles softly up at him and gets back to her feet.

"There's no need to apologize, my dear," she says, reaching out to pat him gently on the head. Then, with a delighted laugh, "You look like you've been wrestling in mud all day!"

Looking down, he notices for the first time the mud stains all over his pant legs and on his t-shirt, and his face immediately flushes with shame.

"Oh, no, dear, don't be embarrassed!" the woman hurries to assure him, and her smile turns fond as she continues that, "My son used to be just the same, even in high school! Always coming home with his uniform all dirty or tattered! Why don't you come inside for a nice hot cup of tea, hm? That should fix you right up! And you can call your parents to let them know you'll be home a bit late!"

He hesitates a moment, not wanting to impose, but the woman is looking at him so earnestly, so genuinely kind, and he finds he doesn't want to turn her down.

He nods quietly, and follows her into the mansion, not giving the youkai at the gate another glance.

"I'm sorry to intrude," he says quietly, voice just barely above a whisper, as he takes his shoes off in the foyer and dons a pair of comically large slippers.

He follows the woman down the brightly lit hallway, trying not to be too nosy but unable to help peering into all the open doorways they pass. The inside of the mansion looks nothing like he'd expected it to – from the soft, welcoming appearance of the woman that had welcomed him inside, he'd expected it to be more homey, more comfortable.

But there's an air of disuse about the place – the halls are too neat, too impersonal.

She seems to notice him staring, and laughs lightly.

"This particular house hasn't seen much use yet, so I'm afraid it's a bit bare," she says, voice apologetic. "There's a cleaning staff that comes in every day, and some of our clan members stay here whenever they're in town or just passing through but that only happens maybe once or twice a month."

"You don't live here, Natsume-san?" he asks, tilting his head curiously to the side, and again, the woman seems strangely startled at the sound of her own name.

"I don't," she answers after a short moment. "I arrived here just yesterday. My son, Takashi, hopes to move his work headquarters to this town, and he needed someone to come and assess the state of the house beforehand. Since he and the rest of the clan are so busy getting ready for the move back home, I offered to do it for him."

They arrive at the kitchen then, and it's warm and bright, and entirely different from the rest of the large, lonely mansion. The woman bids him to sit at the table, and immediately starts bustling around the kitchen, putting the kettle on the stove and searching through the cupboards for snacks.

It's after a few moments of comfortable silence that she finally speaks again.

"Natsume is my son's name," she tells him, smiling at him over her shoulder as she finally finds what she must have been looking for. "My name is Fujiwara Touko."

"Oh!" he gasps, feeling suddenly embarrassed. "I'm sorry for assuming, Fujiwara-san!"

"It's quite alright!" she says lightly, waving his apologies aside. "No harm done! Although…I don't believe you've introduced yourself yet, young man."

Feeling his embarrassment increase, he jumps immediately out of his chair to bow politely to her.

"My name is Iwasaki Daiki! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

* * *

After that first meeting, Daiki goes back to have tea with Fujiwara-san three more times in the week before she returns to her hometown, and not only because it seems like youkai are unable to pass the gates of the strange old mansion.

Fujiwara-san is cheerful and welcoming, such a stark difference to the stony silence he receives at his aunt and uncle's home.

( _And sometimes, when he's sitting in class and his mind is wandering from whatever his teacher is droning on about, he finds himself wondering idly what it would be like to be a part of_ _ **her**_ _family, with the son she's so proud of, and the stoic but gentle husband, and the funny, ugly little cat. It would be warmer, and there'd be more laughter and hugs, he's sure about that. And because this is his imagination and he can think whatever he wants, he imagines that they would even believe him about seeing youkai, that they would still love him and would help protect him._ )

They sit together in the garden, drinking tea and viewing the beautiful autumn foliage.

She talks about her husband and her son, and about the rest of her clan as well, and Daiki can tell that she misses them.

He tells her about himself too, mostly stories of what precious little he remembers of his parents before they'd passed away. He doesn't talk much about his aunt and uncle, because Fujiwara-san is kind, and he doesn't want her to worry about him.

( _She still does. She looks at him with sad eyes when she thinks he can't see, and though he doesn't know it, she recognizes something in him. She recognizes his body language, the way he seems to curl in on himself as if to take up as little room as possible, the way he finds it difficult to hold eye contact, the way he flinches from touch. And she thinks back to her son, to the little lost spirit that had stolen her heart all those years ago and never gave it back. And she hurts. She hurts for Takashi, and she hurts for Daiki. And she wonders how anyone could be so cruel._ )

After she leaves, Daiki still stops by the old mansion sometimes.

The cleaning staff, who all recognize him by now, don't turn him away. They're friendly and welcoming, inviting him inside and serving him tea. Daiki secretly suspects that Fujiwara-san had told them to look after him while she was away. He kind of absolutely loves her for it, and thinks that if he had had a grandmother, he'd hope she'd be like Fujiwara-san.

And as the days pass, and the time slowly approaches for Fujiwara-san and her family to move in, he finds his anticipation slowly growing.

He wonders if Takashi-san will be as kind as his mother.

He wonders if there will be any kids his age to befriend.

He wonders if he'll be allowed to keep visiting the mansion once they all move in.

He wonders a lot of things, and in the end, none of it turns out how he'd been expecting.

* * *

SkyGem: And that's it for the prologue! I know it's a bit of a slow start, but I really do hope you guys like it! Please leave a review and let me know what you thought!

P.S. In case anyone was wondering, the title is from Billy Talent's The Dead Can't Testify.

 _"So to those who don't fit society's mold, learn to swim or your will drown."_


	2. the fox and the cat

It happens on an otherwise rather normal day.

Daiki's on his way home, and he isn't really planning to stop by the mansion today – he has a lot of homework to finish, and he doesn't want to get scolded by his aunt if she finds out that he's been slacking off in school.

But as he turns the corner and the mansion comes into view, he feels his heart skip a beat, and the blood turn to ice in his veins.

There's a gigantic white beast of a youkai dozing atop the roof of the mansion.

There's something elegant about it, about the silky white fur and the bright red markings on its face, around its eyes. He stares at it for a moment too long, maybe, and it blinks an eye open, as if sensing his gaze on it.

Its iris is a striking gold, and it studies him sleepily for a moment before its eyelid droops closed once again.

Daiki takes a deep breath, and forces his numb legs to move forward.

The beast seems calm enough – it's probably just napping on the roof of the mansion because it's the tallest building around, and the weather is beautifully warm today. Normally, Daiki would just ignore it and move on with his day.

But that's Fujiwara-san's house, and she and her family will be moving in any day now, and he doesn't want any of them to get injured.

And not to mention that he's used the mansion as a safe haven several times over the past month, and until now, the white beast is the first youkai that's been able to pass its gates. Surely that must mean it's powerful?

He approaches the gate slowly, not sure what exactly he's going to do yet, but with the vague idea that maybe the beast will leave if he asks politely.

As he finally reaches the gates though, he peers through and notices with dismay several moving trucks, and people hurrying to and fro, carrying boxes into the mansion.

The Natsume family is finally moving in, and just his luck, it happens to be on the same day that a giant beast decides to use their roof as a bed.

Daiki watches the scene quietly, trying to figure out what to do, and notices a tall teenager, several years older than him, carrying several heavy-looking boxes with ease.

There's something strange about him, something that Daiki can't quite put his finger on. He has long brown hair tied back into a neat ponytail, and what looks like a cat ear headband on his head. It's a pretty cool day, cool enough that Daiki and most of the others are all wearing coats, but the teen is just wearing a pair of shorts and an oversized t-shirt that hangs to his thighs.

He's carrying two large boxes that look way too heavy for his thin arms, laughing as he carries them inside and talking to an older gentleman walking alongside him.

The teen is back outside a few moments later, and this time, he seems to notice Daiki's attention.

He perks up, an easy smile stretching across his lips, and trots over to Daiki with a bounce in his step.

"Hi!" he greets with a perky little wave, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Do you live around here? We're going to be your new neighbours! My name is Kou!"

"I-I'm Iwasaki Daiki," Daiki introduces, bowing politely.

There's an excited gasp from Kou, and he exclaims, "You're Iwasaki-san? Touko-san told us about you!"

Daiki doesn't reply.

Instead he's staring, wide-eyed, at the fluffy orange tail peeking out from beneath Kou's t-shirt.

"Iwasaki-san?" Kou asks, and Daiki looks up to see his head tilted curiously to the side. The fluffy orange ears on his head twitch twice.

(' _Fox ears,' Daiki notes absently to himself, 'not cat.'_ )

"Is something wrong?"

Kou seems worried now, reaching out a hand, but Daiki instinctively flinches back, mind reeling. He's confused, and admittedly a bit hurt, to have been tricked by this youkai.

"Y-you're not human," he says, accusing, and notices Kou's ears twitch once more, this time in surprise.

Daiki thinks back to how he'd seen Kou laughing with one of the men earlier as he took boxes inside, and he can't help but wonder how Kou got involved with them. Perhaps he'd killed one of the Natsume Clan members and taken his form, tricking the kind family into thinking he was their loved one? The thought makes Daiki angry.

"You can see these?" asks Kou, sounding startled as he reaches up to touch his ears.

Daiki nods, glaring distrustfully up at the kitsune, who looks even more excited now than he had before.

"Then! Can you see Madara-san as well?" he asks, pointing excitedly upwards, looking like a child at a candy store.

Daiki looks to where he's pointing, and startles badly when his eyes meet with those of the giant white beast, who had previously been dozing on the roof. It leans towards them, the expression on its face curious.

Kou claps, and laughs a delighted little laugh.

"Oh wow, this is amazing! We have to hurry and go tell Takashi-nii about this! Come on, come on!" he exclaims, grabbing for Daiki's hand.

Daiki just pushes him away though, and takes a step back, regarding Kou through suspicious eyes.

"What's going on?" he asks. "Why are you here? Why are you guys on the Natsume family's property? I thought youkai couldn't come here!"

"Well yeah, but we're the Natsume Clan's _shiki_!" replies Kou. "Of **course** we can enter the grounds, silly! It would be pretty impractical for the master's shiki not to be able to enter his home. Where would we sleep? What would happen if he got attacked or something? You're so funny, Iwasaki-kun!"

This only serves to confuse Daiki even more.

"Shiki?" he asks, the unfamiliar word falling awkwardly off his tongue. "What's a shiki?"

Kou's mouth falls into a little "o" of surprise at the question, and before he can say anything else, a deep rumble of laughter interrupts him from above.

"You really do suck at explaining things, Kogitsune," the white beast, Madara, teases. His deep voice is tinged with fond amusement, and Kou laughs right along with him, not seeming the least bit offended at the jibe.

Getting to his feet, Madara stretches, slow and languorous, and it reminds Daiki a bit of a cat.

He jumps carefully off the roof then, and Daiki notes with some interest how careful he is, not to damage the building.

And then, just as his massive front paws land gracefully on the floor, Madara disappears in a puff of smoke, and in his place stands a fat, ugly little cat with a head much too big for its body.

"Wha-? You're…Nyanta…sensei?" Daiki asks, hoping he'd gotten the cat's name right.

The way Kou giggles at his exclamation suggests that he was probably off, but the cat just huffs and rolls his eyes.

"Close enough," he sighs. "Everyone says it differently. At least you were closer than some of the others."

Kou giggles even harder. "Well, at least he didn't call you Ponta," he offers.

Nyanta-sensei ignores him.

"You didn't tell Touko-san that you can see youkai," he says to Daiki, and it's not a question, so much as a confirmation of suspicion.

Daiki shakes his head slowly, wondering where this is going.

"Well," says Nyanta-sensei, raising an eyebrow and looking mildly impressed. "Isn't that quite the neat coincidence. Follow me now, child. And stick close. Not all the other shiki are as friendly to unfamiliar faces as we are."

The cat turns and trots off then, through the front door, and Daiki follows closely after him with Kou bringing up the rear.

As he walks deeper into the house, he notices many people stop to look at the procession in curiosity, but none of them move to stop him or ask what he's doing there.

Kou smiles and exchanges words with each of them, earning many affectionate headpats and ear scratches out of it.

( _It isn't until much later that Daiki realizes that that should have been his first sign about what exactly the Natsume Clan was. Kou had, himself, mentioned earlier that normal humans should not be able to see his ears and tail._ )

Daiki doesn't pay the kitsune much mind however.

"You keep using that word!" he says, trotting after Nyanta-sensei. "Shiki. What does it even mean?"

Nyanta-sensei doesn't answer, and Daiki assumes he's been ignored.

He looks around at the interior of the mansion instead – already, it looks so much different than he remembers from the times he was invited inside to have tea with Touko-san.

The halls are bustling with the sounds and movements of people coming and going, shouting to each other from different rooms. It already feels so much lighter, so much more lived in.

He catches a glimpse of Fujiwara-san in one of the rooms they pass, but he doesn't have time to greet her, with the brutal path Nyanta-sensei is setting.

She's unpacking some boxes, and a woman in an elegant purple kimono is helping her.

Finally, after a bit more walking, Nyanta-sensei stops them with an exclamation of, "Here we are! This is the right room, isn't it Kogitsune?"

"It is!" Kou confirms, coming to a stop in front of the door, and reaching out to open it for Nyanta-sensei, who is much too short to do so himself.

The room they enter then is mostly empty save for a couple of boxes, just like the rest of the house, and in the middle of the floor sits a young man, maybe in his late twenties, though Daiki can't quite see his face properly, so he might be wrong.

His head of fine silver hair is bent over the box he's rummaging through, as if looking for something.

"-honestly, is that so hard to understand!?" he's ranting as they enter, and the two forms sitting neatly near the wall laugh at his apparent frustration.

"It just goes to show good you are at your job, Natsume-sama!" says the one on the right – she looks almost human, in her pretty pink kimono and her beautifully made up face. She cradles a cup of tea in her hands, raising it to dark red lips to take a quick sip. The only thing that gives her away is the large pink butterfly ornament covering her right eye.

"She's right, Natsume! Just take it as a compliment!" laughs the young man sitting next to her. He has a face that looks accustomed to smiling, with warm brown eyes and short, messy brown hair that flops into his eyes. He's wearing a pair of jeans and a plain red t-shirt. He looks entirely normal, and Daiki is about 60% convinced he's human.

"That's easy for you to say, Satoru!" groans Natsum, looking up. "You're not the one that has to-"

He cuts himself off then, as he finally notices Daiki's little group.

His eyes pass questioningly over Daiki, then to Kou, and finally they settle on the cat.

"Nyanko-sensei? I thought you were waiting on the roof for Misuzu to come," he finally says, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Nyanta-sensei completely ignores the accusation, instead turning his head to look up at Daiki.

"This is Natsume Takashi," he says, pointing a stubby little leg at the man. "He's an exorcist."

* * *

SkyGem: Yaaay, I am on a roll! Two updates in a row :D I hope you guys liked this one! Please don't forget to leave a comment and let me know what you thought!


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